1. By Jeffery Lewis Kaila Speaks

2. The People Alcyone was the daughter of Aeolus, the Greek god of the wind Ceyx was King of Trachis, in central Greece. Alcyone and Ceyx were admired by gods and mortals alike for their great physical beauty, as well as the profound love they had for each other.

3. The Reason They were so happy in their marriage that they used to often playfully call one another Zeus and Hera. This infuriated the chief of the gods and he sought to punish them Ceyx decided to travel to see the Oracle of Apollo, against his wife’s wishes

4. Punishment Zeus, the chief god, decided this was an opportune time to punish the couple for their sacrilege He launched a thunderbolt that raised a furious hurricane engulfing the ship which began to sink. Before he got drowned, he prayed to the gods to allow his body be washed ashore so as to enable his beloved Alcyone to perform the funeral rite

5. The lovely Alcyone waited for her husband for a long time, praying continually to the gods, especially Hera, queen of the gods, for the safe return of Ceyx Hera felt profound sorrow for the tragic fate of Ceyx Morpheus created a life-like specter of Ceyx which revealed to Alcyone the tragic circumstances concerning the shipwreck and death of her husband After performing the last rites and unable to continue living without her husband, Alcyone threw herself into the sea and got drowned, determined to join her husband

6. Atonement The gods on Olympus were profoundly affected by the tragic fate of Alcyone and Ceyx, as well as their wonderful love for one other Zeus transformed the couple into the Halcyon birds (kingfisher)

7. Reality The phrase "halcyon days" owes its origin to this beautiful myth of Alcyone and Ceyx For two weeks every January, Aeolus, calms down the winds and the waves so that Alcyone, in the form of a kingfisher bird, can safely lay her eggs The term "halcyon days" comes to signify a period of great peace and calm

8. Modern Reference This story can be related to the movie “Titanic”.